While You Were Sleeping
by BellaTonks
Summary: Previously called Reunions. My interpretation of what happens when Melanie wakes up in the hospital. Kyle/Sunny chapter added. Takes place between Mel waking up and Wanda reawakening in her new body. I own nothing.
1. Awakening

**Hey, everyone. Here is my version of what I imagine happens when Melanie wakes up. This is something I wrote spontaneously, so it's not anything spectacular. I hope you like it though, enjoy.**

**I own nothing. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer. :D**

Awakening

**MPOV**

The dim lights blinded our eyes, but we try to pry them open when we hear an all too familiar voice. A voice that I thought I would never hear again. Jared.

We searched for the voice through the blinding light.

"Jared," I tried to say, but my voice was not there. I tried again, still nothing.

_Wanda, Wanda. Why isn't he answering us?_

No answer.

_Wanda, where are you? Answer me, please._

Where was she? Were we in danger? I tried to push through. I tried to regain the use of our limbs. I felt a hand touch our face. It took me a moment to figure out that it was our hand. It took me another moment to realize that it was I who had moved our hand.

I continued to move our hand, looking to rub our eyes. I needed to wake up so I can find Wanda.

_Wanda._

There is still no answer.

Our hand had reached our eyes. As I rubbed them, I tried to remember our last memory. I remember lying with Ian, not wanting to leave. I wanted to stay forever, forever in his arms.

Wait.

That wasn't my memory, it was Wanda's memory. What happened after that? I can't remember.

I heard a grunt beside me.

"I promised her, Jared," a relatively familiar voice said defiantly.

"But I didn't," Jared replied.

Jared!

I instantly shot open my eyes when I remembered that Wanda was gone. It was still too bright, but I needed to get up. Every fiber of my being was telling me that Wanda was in danger and I needed to help her. I sat up rather quickly, a little too quickly because the room started spinning.

I heard gasps on my right side and then suddenly there were a pair of strong, sturdy arms wrapped around me, accompanied by a joyful sigh of relief.

"Melanie," Jared asked. His voice was timid and expectant. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I answered in whisper. My voice had yet not returned to its fullest. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Yes, I'm fine," I said more loudly.

"Oh, thank God," he said relieved. He took my face in between his large hands and inched his face closer to mine. "Please don't hit me," he smiled at me, then placed his lips upon mine and kissed me delicately. He had never kissed me this way before. The kiss was passionate and romantic, a lover's first kiss, a fairy tale kiss.

I wrapped my arms around him, bringing him closer to me. I never wanted to let go ever again and he seemed to share the same sentiment. We pulled our lips apart and rested our foreheads on one another. We sighed in contentment.

"I missed you," he whispered to me.

"I was never really gone," I answered. "You always had me."

He caressed my cheek with his thumb, while his other arm was securely wrapped around my waist.

"It wasn't the same, besides, _you_ didn't let me," he laughed.

"That's right, I didn't let you. But, I m here now and we …" I stopped mid-sentence. We, we … "Wanda," I shouted abruptly. "Where is she?"

Jared helped me down off of the table and then turned to walk toward the man I knew, but didn't at the same time. Doc was holding a silver ribbon in his hands, holding it safely in his hands. It was still wiggling. I sighed in relief.

Jared extended his hand out toward Doc. "Hand her over, Doc," he demanded.

"Jared, please," Doc pleaded. "It's what she wanted."

"But, do you really want to do it, Doc," Jared challenged.

Doc stared at Jared, still not fully convinced of what he should do.

I stepped over to Doc and cleared my voice loudly to gain his attention. "I already know that you don't want to do this. You told her yourself, I was there." I smiled.

"Then you should know that this was her request. It is what she asked me to do and what she wanted," Doc argued.

"I know what she asked. But, you're wrong. It's not really what she wants. Again, I should know, better than anyone. I know exactly what it is that she wants." I was holding my hand out toward Doc now also. We stared at one another for what seemed like a very long moment. But, I didn't have that long, Wanda didn't have that long. I needed to act quickly.

"You know she deserves better than this, Eustace," I emphasized, not breaking eye contact.

He sighed in defeat and then carefully placed the silver stream in my hands. Wanda, she looked so pretty and beautiful. I quickly slid her into the cryotank that Jared had ready in his hands. He sealed it quickly and Wanda rested securely within it.

We smiled at one another and he turned his attention to the tank in his hands. I watched him hold Wanda in his hands. Something about it made me feel awkward. I couldn't quite place what was making me feel this way.

As I continued to stare, a frown crossed my face. Jared had noticed and his expression seemed to mimic mine. I quickly snatched the tank out of his hands and handed it to Doc. Confusion now covered his face as I handed Wanda over to Doc. I quickly turned back over to Jared.

"Mel, what's wrong," he asked warily.

My eyebrows narrowed and anger spread across my face. My right hand balled up into a fist and with as much strength as my body would allow, I lunged forward and punched the side of his face.

"Ugh," he grunted in mild pain. His hand instinctively rose to massage his face. "What was that for?" he asked, still rather confused.

"That was for being such a _JERK_ to Wanda," I shouted.

I heard Doc chuckle behind me as he walked over to his desk.

Jared stared at me, "But, baby …"

"But, baby nothing," I interrupted. "Wanda is a good person and the way you treated her was vile. I can now understand how their dislike for humans is justified. And despite the ill treatment, she still loved you and Jamie. She still loves all of us. Don't you ever treat her that way ever again. _She_ deserves better, _she_ deserves to be … _happy_."

By the end of my accusations, all anger had subsided. Jared merely gazed at me with a smile on his face. He took a step toward me and wrapped his arms around me once again and sighed.

"Yes, _she_ does deserve to be happy and I will personally see to it," Jared promised me. He kissed me once more. I couldn't stay angry at him, I love him. We embraced each other tightly, as to never let go, never wanting the other to let go. We kissed each other fervently, my hand exploring every bit of his chest, while the other buried in his hair.

From behind us, we were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. It was Doc. We obviously had gotten a little too carried away. We chuckled at his and our reaction, but our attention was quickly turned toward the doorway.

Jared turned back to look behind him and tilted my head to look around him. My body immediately froze at the site. Ian stood there, red faced and fists clenched at his sides. No doubt seeing me in Jared's arms was not what he expected to see (well not quite yet).

He began to charge toward us.

"Now, O'Shea, settle down," Jared warned, but Ian didn't listen. Jared stood protectively in front of me when Ian punched him square in the face.

"What have you done with her," Ian demanded.

Jared was on the floor and now I kneeled protectively in front of him. I stood quickly back up to yell at Ian, but once I looked into his fiery blue eyes, I couldn't. I promised her I wouldn't. That and something in me just wanted to hold him in my arms. I quickly banished that thought and continued to look at him.

As angry as he was, there were tears streaming out of his eyes. He was hurt, heartbroken. He looked at me with the most sullen expression.

"Answer me," he grinds through his clenched teeth. "Where is she?"

I let out a sigh. "She is safe, Ian."

When Jared got back on his feet, I turned to walk over toward Doc's desk, to retrieve Wanda's tank. I noticed that Doc had disappeared from his desk and now stood across from Kyle. Jodi still had not woken up. She still lay there, slumbering peacefully. Doc and Kyle only stared at us, unsure as to whether or not to intervene.

Ian was close at my heels when I picked up Wanda. Before I could even offer the tank to him, he hastily snatched it from my hand that I thought he was about to drop it.

"Careful, Ian," I worried.

"With me, always," he said. He held the tank in his hands tightly, more tears spilling out of his eyes.

"You really do love her, don't you," I finally realized.

He nodded once without looking up at me, keeping his eyes solely on Wanda. At that moment, I heard more footsteps advancing in the doorway. It was Uncle Jeb and Jamie.

I ran to Jamie and hugged him tightly. "Jamie! Oh, how I've missed you," I shouted.

He pulled away slightly, confusion on his face, but then surprise. "Mel?"

"Yes, it's me, Jamie. I told you I'd come back." He pulled me into hug and began laughing.

Uncle Jeb was standing next to us and patted me on the shoulder as Jamie and I hugged. "Good to have you back, kiddo."

"Wait," Jamie said as he pulled away. "Not that I'm not happy to have you back. But if you're here, then where is Wanda?" His expression was wary, almost hurt. As if he were expecting the worst because his eyes started to water.

"Not to worry, little brother," I stroked his cheek. "Wanda is still with us."

I walked toward where Ian now sat with Wanda securely in his hands, the others followed behind.

"She is safe here and will continue to be, whether she likes it or not," I smiled at all of them. They returned the smile and look back to Wanda resting in Ian's hands.

I knelt down in front of Ian to talk to Wanda. He pulled away cautiously, but I smiled and he relaxed. I spoke to Wanda. "I am not going to let you go, I love you," I quickly looked up at Ian and then back at Wanda, "We love you. We are going to make this work, I promise you, my sister."

I stood up then and faced the rest on them. I smiled at each of them and said, "Listen up everyone, I have a plan."

* * *

**A/N: I hoped you liked it and please don't forget to review (even if it's to tell me it sucked!). :D**


	2. Sunny Hours

**Okay, I had originally intended this to be a one-shot, but I'm back with more because I had a few requests, although, it might not be quite what you expected. See when I wrote the first part of this, I was just thinking reunion; what it was like for Mel. But then, I started thinking about other reunions and just something about Kyle and Sunny completely fascinated me and so this just happened to pop into my head. **

**As for Mel and her plan … you all know her plan, to get Wanda another host body. That's it, that's her plan. Nothing too exiting, although … come to think about it, I guess I can write about the plan _being_ executed. Yea … ha-ha, okay, I guess I'll try to write that next. Now my only dilemma is whether or not I should continue it as part of this story or write as a separate one-shot? You'll just have to wait and see, I guess. Story Alert! XD**

**The usual … nothing belongs to me, it belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

Sunny Hours

**Three days later ...**

**KPOV**

She stared at me as if she knew something I did not. Though she did not verbally share her thoughts aloud, I knew what she was thinking; Jodi was never going to wake up. But just because she and the others before her had awoken not soon after their invading soul were extracted from them, that doesn't mean that my Jodi can't do the same. Even the healer had taken awhile. Why should I lose hope?

Granted that she, Melanie (who still kept watching us), had a better insight, better knowledge of the situation, it still meant nothing to me. Jodi will come back, she was still here.

"Please, come back to me, Jodes," I quietly begged.

There was still no movement, no reaction.

I continued to stroke her hand gently, hoping that my touch would spark some sort of response. I had to believe that Jodi was still alive in there.

Jeb once told me that souls often take on the personality and/or characteristics of their hosts. It seemed evidently so in Wanda; her relentless and uncanny attachment to both Jared and Jamie. Those were Melanie's feelings; feelings that had manifested themselves onto Wanda. The seeker; the soul had taken on the host's personality, which Doc tells me, is obnoxious and nags a lot. I have not heard anything about the healer, aside from her name being Mandy.

So then, if all of this is true, then Jodes _must_ still be in there. I base this solely on the most unlikely individual, Sunny. Though Sunny and Jodi are slightly different, they do share similar traits. Sunny is extremely apprehensive as where Jodi was not so much. Jodi is more open and sociable, but I can understand why Sunny may be more reserved, especially in a cave full of humans. Still, the similarities are what give me hope. When I found Sunny, she was with her mother (attached at the hip, like always; something that bothered me tremendously). There was that, and then there was me. When I 'kidnapped' Sunny, she didn't protest, in fact, she was happy to see me. And for a brief moment, I saw Jodi reflected through her eyes.

I looked down at Sunny's cryotank resting in my hand. Man, she really is something else. It darn near broke my heart when we put her to sleep. She begged and pleaded to stay. She told me that she loved me, do anything for me … me, a total stranger; someone who has, up until recently, loathed her kind. Although I apologized to Wanda and many may think that my stance on souls changed because of her, it's not true. Sunny changed my opinion on the matter with her kind and gentle nature. Yes, Wanda was the same way, but Sunny was different. Sunny loved me, truly loves me.

It's been almost three days and still nothing. The hospital wing has been a little crowded these past couple of days. Doc has been here just as long as I have, every so often checking on Jodi and I. Ian, as well, has been here the same amount of time, just sitting and cradling Wanda in his hands. It's strange, what things have come to. I criticized my brother for falling in love with a worm, but I can no longer pass that sort of judgment. After knowing Wanda and meeting Sunny, I can understand.

There was a lot of bustling about, especially between Melanie, Jared and Jamie. From what I had overheard, they had formulated some sort of plan, a plan involving bringing Wanda back, but they were waiting on one thing (as instructed my Melanie). What this one thing was, I do not know, nor did I really care to know at the moment. My one and only concern was Jodi.

As I sat there with one hand caressing Jodi's hand and the other nestling Sunny's tank, Doc comes over to stand on the opposite side of the cot to check on Jodi. He takes her pulse and then makes sure that she is hydrated. Once he's done, he lets out a heavy sigh and turns to look over to Melanie, who had not taken her glance away from our direction, and nodded at her. She walked over to stand next to Doc.

"Kyle," Doc said to me. He said my name in a way I remember doctors telling family members and friends that their loved one has passed away. That is not what I wanted to hear, Jodi was still alive damn it. I squeezed her hand tightly, not wanting to let go. My traitorous eyes were beginning to water as if they had already accepted Jodi's fate.

"Kyle," he said once again.

I shook my head in denial. I didn't want to hear it. "No," I whispered in a harsh tone.

"Listen to me, Kyle," Doc continued. "It's been three days now. Jodi cannot remain in this vegetated state for long. Do you understand what I am telling you Kyle?"

"Just give her a little more time," I said. I stared at Jodi's peaceful face. "Please."

He sighed heavily. "Maybe with the proper equipment we could, but there is no way to keep her nourished. Her pulse is weakening and the amount of oxygen entering her brain is minimal. If she wakes up anytime soon, the only thing she would have to worry about are bed sores. If we wait any longer, her limb muscles will begin to deteriorate. We don't have much time Kyle."

Tears were now pouring out of my eyes, rolling down the sides of my face. This wasn't fair. How can fate be so cruel? How can it present me with an opportunity to get Jodi back only to take it away from me again? How could life and love go on?

As I sobbed silently next to Jodi, Melanie walked around and kneeled right down next to me.

"Kyle," she said thoughtfully.

I turned slightly in her direction, but never making eye contact. Though she had technically been here all this time with us, she was a stranger to me. It was Wanda who had come to familiarize myself with. I felt rather uncomfortable in her presence, especially since I tried to kill her. But, here she was kneeling right beside me, as though nothing happened, trying to comfort me or so I think.

"Jodi is lost and cannot find her way back. She needs help, she cannot do it on her own," she said.

"What do you think I've been doing?" I said angrily. "I've sat here all this time talking to her, trying to guide her. I have done as Wanda instructed and it isn't working!"

"I know what Wanda told you to do and I know that it hasn't worked," she sighed.

"What are you suggesting then," I ask.

"Let someone else try," she suggested.

"And who do you recommend should try?" My voice was mildly irritated now.

"Someone who _knows_ her," she implied.

I stared at her, slightly offended. What does that mean? That I don't know my Jodi? That's impossible, no one but I could possibly know her any better. Ian maybe, but he was a little too preoccupied with his own catch-22 situation.

"There is no one else," I finalized, but she did not seem to want to let it go.

"There is one more _person_," she continued. "If time is what you want, _she_ can give it to you."

Time _is_ what I wanted. I know Jodi can still make a recovery if allowed a sufficient amount of time.

"Who," I asked, my hopes and curiosity peeked, but she didn't answer. Instead, she looked down at my lap. She stared for a long moment, finally drawing my attention down to my lap. All I saw was Sunny's tank resting in my hand.

Sunny!

I shot my eyes back up to Melanie. Was she serious? Apparently my facial expression verbalized my question that she nodded and said, "When I got temporarily lost, it was Wanda who found me. She searched for me, doing all that was necessary to bring me back."

"But Sunny said that Jodi wasn't there," I said dejectedly.

"That's because Sunny was never looking for her," she countered. "Just think about it. What other choice do you have?"

She stood up and turned to walk away toward Jamie, Jared and Ian, who all seemed to be waiting for her to return.

I turned back to look over at Doc. I wanted for him to offer me a second opinion, but he only stared at me momentarily and sighed. "Time is running out, Kyle. It is your decision, of course, but you must decide quickly." He walked away then to join the others, who were huddled together and whispering to each other.

I took in a sizeable breath of air and then slowly releasing it back out. In that moment after, I felt as if I stopped breathing. I didn't know what to do. I wanted so badly for Jodi to be awake, so she could tell me what to do. But that was just it, she wasn't here and she wasn't coming back anytime soon.

I looked down at Sunny. She was resting just as peacefully as Jodi seemed to be. It brought a small smile to my face; they really do have a lot of similarities. Melanie was right, Sunny was the best chance I had at ever getting Jodi back; but how long would that take. Could I even trust Sunny enough?

Of course I could trust her. She was a soul after all; lying wasn't part of their nature as Wanda proved time and time again. Besides, Sunny loves me; she wouldn't do anything to hurt me or Jodi. I continued to smile down at Sunny. She really was a good kid and if anything … I do love her too. Not on the same level as Jodi, but still on a semi romantic level. Again, I can understand Ian's love for Wanda. How could you not love something so pure?

I leaned forward to place a small kiss of Jodi's lips. I bent down to softly whisper in her ear, "Until we meet again. I will always wait for you, my love."

I pulled away and stood up slowly. I was still holding on to her hand when I shifted my gaze toward Doc. "I am ready now. We'll put Sunny back in."

Doc walked back over and patted me on the shoulder. "You made a wise decision. Let me get what we need. Can you please roll her onto her stomach?" He walked over to his desk to gather what he needed.

I placed Sunny's tank gently on the chair before cradling Jodi in my arms momentarily and then placing her on her stomach. Doc had returned, accompanied by Melanie, Jared and Jamie. I quickly picked up Sunny's tank again and prepared myself to open it.

Doc leaned over Jodi, just as he had done when he separated Sunny from Jodi. It was odd that the same thrill I had experienced during the removal process had returned; as if this time, for sure, I was going to get Jodi back. I guess in a way, I was. Doc laid the scalpel on Jodi's neck and then glanced up at me for reassurance. I nodded briskly and Doc proceeded. Once the opening had been made, I opened the tank and Sunny slid into my awaiting hand. Almost instantly (as if she were waiting for this moment), she began wiggling in my hand. I handed her over to Doc and he swiftly placed her back in.

He healed and cleaned her up quickly. I have to admit, Doc was getting good at this. I rolled her onto her back and again waited. Soon after, Doc and the others walked back over to Ian and commenced their whispering.

I sat back down and waited an agonizing ten and a half minutes, before I felt Sunny's hand begin to twitch.

"Doc,' I shouted. He hurried over and started taking her pulse.

"Talk to her," he ordered.

I started stroking her hair, my heart pounding anxiously. "Sunny, wake up Sunny," I said.

Her eyes squeezed together tightly and her hand squeezed around mine.

"That's it Sunny, come back," I continued.

She slowly tried to open her eyes; her eyes were trying to adjust to the light. She began to moan, it was an irritated moan, like the kind someone makes when they don't want to me woken up. I chuckled to myself.

"Come on Sunny, wake up. It's me, Kyle. Remember me?"

"Kyle! Please, I don't want to go," she shouted. Her eyes were still closed; it sounded and looked like she was having a bad dream.

"Shh," I said patting her head. "You don't have to go anywhere. You can stay here with me. I won't let anyone hurt you," I assured her.

Her eyes then flew opened and immediately found mine. She quickly propped herself up and wrapped her arms around.

"Oh, Kyle," she shouted excitedly. "I thought I was never going to see you again. I'm so happy to see you, to hold you again. Does this mean that I get to stay? That you want to keep me," she asked hopefully. "Please, please don't make me go away again. I want to stay here with you."

I sighed. "I know Sunny. I won't make you go away anytime soon," I said cautiously looking down at her. She looked on the verge of tears. I pulled her closer to me and hugged her tightly. "You're not going anywhere Sunny, I promise. I will always keep you." And I really meant it. If Jodi ever came back and Sunny was removed again, I would not ship her off to another planet, I would keep her safe with me; until the day I die.

"But you said 'anytime soon', what did you mean by that?" she sniffed.

"Please understand Sunny, I love Jodi and I would like it very much to be able to see her again. I would like for you to help me, help us and in return, I will keep you Sunny. I will be whatever you need me to be and I … I will love you, Sunny. I would never ship you off to another world. Can you do that Sunny, can you find Jodi?" I asked.

"I will try my very best. I will find her, I promise." She smiled warmly at me.

"Take as long as you need," I said returning her smile before tilting my head down and placing a small kiss on her forehead.

* * *

**A/N: I have absolutely no medical knowledge, so I do not know how long a body can survive without food or any other medical conditions I mentioned. So, please, just use your imaginations. Again, I try and I hope you liked it. I know it's not what you expected, but I will try to get back on the Mel/Wanda path. Please let me know what you think, thank you. :D  
**


	3. The Plan

The Plan

**Three days prior …**

**MPOV**

"We're going to what?" Jamie asked, rather confused and excited.

"We are going to get Wanda a new body," I said.

I didn't want to let her go. Wanda was like a sister to me now, she was staying whether she liked it or not.

"But," Uncle Jeb began to say. He looked pensive, as if he were unsure of something. "Wanda had said she wouldn't be the same and that it might be dangerous if she switched bodies."

"She was lying," I rolled my eyes. Wanda was always a terrible liar, why any of them believed her on that was beyond me. They all looked at one another, seemingly unsure. I sighed, "Look, trust me; I know what I'm talking about. Though, _Lacey_," I said her name with an intent dislike, "thinks I've been brainwashed, I haven't. It's strange, I know, but I truly do love her. She deserves a shot at happiness." I glanced at Ian and gave him a warm smile.

They nodded their heads and agreed.

"So," Doc said as he let out an exasperated breath, "don't mean to be a pessimist, but … I know that she most definitely did not want to be a parasite anymore. I say this because of you, because she gave you back. She will not be happy if we snatch another body and the same thing occurs as it did with you. What if what she said about being pulled to another love does happen? Then what, it seems pretty risky to me. I mean, not that I don't want Wanda back, but …" he trailed off.

I shook my head in disagreement, but before I could answer, Ian had spoken for the first time since he sat down with Wanda in his hands.

"Wanda would never do that," he said boldly. "Wanderer is a pure and gentle soul. She loves us and would never betray us, never!"

I placed my hand on Ian's shoulder to calm him down. He looked over to his shoulder where my hand rested and then shifted his gaze toward my face and we stared into each other's eyes; they were locked together. I felt this unconscious feeling in my hand that wanted to reach out and touch his face, but then I quickly jerked my hand away when I heard someone clear their throat. I turned in the direction of the person who had made the sound. It was Jared looking at me mildly confused. I looked back at Ian, who also had the same look, but then I took a step away from him.

"Ian's right," I said through my mild discomfort. "She would never in a million years betray us."

"So let's go, let's go get her a new body then," Jamie said excitedly. We all stared at him, at his enthusiasm and I shook my head in amusement, which he misconstrued as a gesture of exclusion. "I want to go! You are not leaving me out of this one; I always miss _everything_, not this time. Please –,"

"Enough Jamie," I said, interrupting his whining. "Of course you'll get to go. I am going to need your help anyway; you will be the prime decision maker for this excursion." I winked at him and he quickly walked up to my side and hugged me.

"Really, Mel?" he asked with surprised excitement. I nodded. "Awesome!"

I couldn't help but smile at his eager enthusiasm, which I was beginning to think it was contagious because I myself was starting to become jittery and couldn't wait to leave. But, I couldn't just rush into this; there was no room for errors or folly. There were still certain parts of my plan that needed to be discussed fully through and it mainly rested upon one being.

I turned to look at _them_, knowing almost everything that Wanda knew was difficult to come to grips with some times. As much as I wanted to believe that Jodi was going to make a recovery, I knew better. Even Wanda had that doubt. But it is that very same doubt that is going to bring Wanda back. It is this misfortune that I, which _we, _need to get her back, without having the guilt consume us.

"So, when are we leaving then?" Jared asked, drawing my attention to him and away from my current thoughts. He seemed determined to go. I honestly thought he would object to this. Although it had originally been his plan to get Wanda another body, I wasn't sure if he would ever go through with it. He was always deterred by Wanda's kind, by Wanda herself, that I believed he would never willingly sacrifice another human for the sake of a _parasite_.

But, boy was I wrong. I looked at him for a bit and then down at Jamie who was still hugging me. I kissed the top of his head and sighed. "To be determined," I said as I turned to look back over toward where Jodi laid and Kyle sat with Sunny in his hands.

**IPOV**

Melanie had turned our attention to Kyle and Jodi. _To be determined_, what did that mean? I could see that I wasn't the only one confused by her statement; everyone shared the same dumbfounded expression.

"What do 'ya mean by that," Jeb finally asked.

We all turned to look at her; she was still looking over toward Kyle. Why on earth was she looking at him? Was she still afraid of him? If so, I hope she knows that my brother would never hurt her, she was _human_ after all. He had even finally apologized to Wanda and Wanda being Wanda forgave him.

_Wanderer_, _I_ sighed to myself, _my Wanderer_. I gently tightened my grip on her tank; she looked so beautiful in her true form, so heavenly. Honestly, how anyone could be afraid of her is mind-boggling. She is truly good, kind-hearted and pure, the epitome of an angel. I guess that is why they are called souls, aside from her magnificent silvery-like glow and her sleek ribbon outline, which if she curled up would look like a halo; she was brilliant. It was difficult to keep your eyes off such a stunning being.

But I was looking at Melanie at the present moment; we were all awaiting her answer. As I sat there quietly I came to realize that although the face and the body were the same, there were certainly a difference between Wanda and Melanie. Melanie continued to stare in Kyle's direction. Its strange how things work, here Melanie stood only a few steps away, within my grasps and it meant nothing to me. When she touched me earlier, I could tell that we both felt some strange discomfort to each other; it meant nothing to me. I truly did love Wanda; Melanie was a stranger to me, someone who in a way had taken Wanda away from me just as when Wanda had taken her from Jared.

But I held no ill will toward Melanie, no aversion toward her. Wanda loved her enough to give her back, but then again she was always the giving type. Still, I sit here looking at Melanie and there is no comparison; I know this. There is no desire to be near her or touch her. The one I wanted now, rested here in my hands. I only hope Wanda will believe me, believe that I honestly, truly and positively am in love with _her_. I sighed looking down at her and began rubbing her tank with my thumb.

"When Wanda had spoken with Sunny," Melanie began saying, her voice suddenly hushed. She had turned her glance back in our direction, but never looked directly at any of us. Instead, she focused her gaze upward. She seemed almost reluctant and sad in a way, as if what she was about to say was something difficult. "Sunny had told her that Jodi never spoke to her as I did with Wanda, that she … didn't have any thoughts." She looked at each of us now.

I looked over toward where my brother sat and at the moment, I found the image of him a little humorous. We both sat anxiously grasping small cryotanks in our hand, desperately awaiting our loves to come back, although in a different way.

But what did she mean by _no thoughts_? Was it that Jodi didn't have a thought on the matter or that she was just quiet? That would make sense since Jodi was more the quiet type, but judging by her expression, that's probably not what she meant.

"I had temporarily disappeared from my mind once because Wanda had unintentionally locked me away. Of course, she was able to bring me back with some help." She blushed, a ruby red color while Jeb, Doc and Jamie looked at her with bewilderment. Jared merely smiled, almost smug-like. I honestly didn't want to remember that unpleasant affair. "My point, however," she continued on trying to divert off that particular incident (which I was grateful for), "is that if Wanda inadvertently was able to get rid of me, than Sunny, I think, has most definitely gotten rid of Jodi."

Again, we all quickly glanced back toward Kyle and Jodi and then back at Melanie. Jodi can't be gone, can she? If what she said was true than my brother would be devastated beyond reason. Poor Jodi; it must be the saddest thing in the world, getting erased from your own mind.

"I mean, at first, Wanda tried everything to silence me, but I wouldn't give up. But honestly, she really didn't put up much of a fight," she said in a mildly cocky tone. It made me faintly irritated to hear her speak that way about my Wanderer, but I let it go, knowing that she really didn't mean anything by it. 

"She kept talking to me, almost as if she liked having me around. In time, we both accepted each other and accepted the fact that we were in this together, a package deal.

"But, Sunny … I don't think she ever gave Jodi a chance. It seemed clear to me that she had permanently wiped out Jodi," she continued to whisper to us. "So my plan is this, we wait to see what happens with Jodi. If things turn out the way I think they will, then we can go ahead with finding Wanda a new body. I mean we'll do that regardless, but with this bit of information we'll know what to look for at least. If anything else she won't be as angry."

"Jodi is not going to survive without her mind intact for much longer," Doc stated quietly as to not alert Kyle. "What are we going to tell Kyle then if Jodi doesn't wake up? How are we going to be able to keep her alive?"

"Again, I know. Leave that to me, but we'll have to give her some time to see if she recovers. Otherwise …" she turned to look at Kyle and sighed. "He is going to have to make a choice."

I stared at my brother; he looked heartbroken, as if he already knew her fate. It saddened me, was this to be my fate as well? No, I _will_ have my Wanderer back. And it did not matter to me what she looked like because it was not the body that I fell in love with, but the soul. And with that, I agreed to Melanie's plan. Wanderer will have a new body, a new life, one that I hope she will be happy with.

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**A/N: Wow, this story has definitely proven to be a challenge for me. But, I'm not giving up ... I definitely have more in store, more ideas under my sleeves. So, stay tuned for more! But, please review, I would like to know what you think about it so far. Thanks. **

**Also, (for the twilight fans) check out my poll. **


	4. The Other Sister

**Oh wow … it's been awhile. I'm sorry, it's just with classes starting up and making a big move from New York to Alaska, well you can imagine it's been pretty hectic. But, I haven't forgotten about you guys. It took me forever to write this chapter … again, it's very difficult trying to capture the personalities of these characters, but I'm still trying. I hope you like this chapter, because I don't really. I'm just trying to get the story moving. I have couple of ideas now and I will **_**try**_** to get to it as soon as I can … no promises though, but I do promise to work on it and finish it. Please don't hate me! **

**Also, you may have noticed that the title changed. I would think the reason is fairly obvious and that this new title fits the story a bit better. Anyways, on with the story …**

The Other Sister

**JPOV**

This is by far the strangest thing I have ever done. In the years that I was alone (the years after the invasion and prior to Mel and Jamie entering my life), I had hated … no loathed those parasites and here I am, doing exactly what the seekers do, searching for a host body. I need to keep thinking to myself that it is not the same … we are doing this because it's what's best for the caves, best for us. Well for one thing, Jodi never woke up (poor thing), so I have no remorse stealing a body that has, in all sense, 'lost its mind'.

But what do we look for? How do we know? Mel said that the younger the better, but not too young (I'm sure Ian wouldn't appreciate that). That the best candidate would be someone who's invading soul has taken residency for quite awhile. She said that a younger mind would be a weaker mind and therefore much less resilient to the host.

Ugh, this still felt _wrong_! Taking a human life for a non-human, but I do owe it to her, I owe _her_ much more. Wanda had given so much to our human settlement, so much more than I could have ever given. She truly was an entity of kindness, an angel sent from the stars. No one, not even Kyle, could possibly feel more ashamed than or as guilty as me for the way she had been treated. She never meant use any harm, she only wanted to be with us, help us in any way possible. And what did I do? I physically harmed her. Mel was right; I was a total jerk to her, completely vile. Regardless of my prejudices, I should never hit a woman, whether human or not. What kind of a man was I?

But, I wasn't doing this just out of guilt, no, that wasn't the only reason. I … I … love her, I do. My love for her was purely a platonic love, of course, but I can see how someone would easily fall in love with her. Her selflessness, her gentle good nature, her charisma, and relentless need to make everyone happy, who wouldn't fall for her charms? Ha-ha, she would have made an excellent seeker. No, I did not love her the way I knew she loved me, the way I love Mel; I still felt a need to protect her, to keep her safe in my arms. Though, come to think of it and it slightly confounds me now, but I guess I would consider her like a younger sibling. I never want any harm to come to her; I would forever be her overprotective older brother.

"So, where are we going hunting then?" Jamie asked, pulling me away from my thoughts. I was entirely focused on the road, trying to watch my speed limit. So far, the only agreement we had come to was that we couldn't search in the local area. It had to be somewhere far away, somewhere north.

"What do you think, Jared?" Mel squeezed my hand lightly. She knew I was having some difficulties with this and at first she tried to dissuade me from coming along, but was left with no other choice when there really was no other option. The only two possible candidates were Ian and Kyle, but neither had any immediate plans of leaving the caves at the moment. As far as anyone else, they definitely did not want anything to do with this plan. Besides, whatever issues I may have, they were minimal. This is what Mel wanted _and_ I wanted to do this; I wanted to do this for both of them.

"Hmm …" I mumbled, contemplating where we should go. "Perhaps, we should keep our present course and continue north. I think maybe Oregon or Washington would be a good place to search." I smiled at Mel, to reassure her that I was alright. She beamed at me and I raised our already joined hands and kissed the top of her hand.

"Thank you for doing this," she said and she leaned in to kiss the side of my face. She moved our hands up to her face so that she was able to press her cheek onto the back of my hand. She was so warm and soft; it always made my insides squirm at the sensation.

"Anything for you," I replied, looking into her eyes, while not trying to lose focus of the road.

"Ugh," Jamie grunted. "Cut it out you two and watch the road, Jared, before you get us killed," he protested.

Mel and I both laughed, but we never unlocked our hands and continued our journey to find our sister.

**JAPOV**

_Finally_, we were out to find Wanda a new body. I thought we were never going to leave. Mel kept insisting that we wait, even though she had already known the outcome of Jodi's condition; she still insisted on waiting. It was irritating really, and pointless to wait if we were going to go anyway. The only cool thing about waiting, I was able to see an insertion. It was awesome; I don't know why Wanda wouldn't let me watch.

We were in the van, traveling up north to find Wanda's body. Ha-ha, that sounds kind of funny, like she somehow _lost_ her body. I guess she sort of did, by giving Mel back, which I would be forever grateful for, but, I had lost my sister, again. Although Mel was my real sister and I _do_ love her very much, I love Wanda just as equally. She was cool and an awesome storyteller. I always enjoyed listening to her stories of her previous lives. They were way better than any fairytale story we ever had; they became the highlight of my day.

Now she lay sleeping in a freezing tank, in Ian's hands. Oh boy was he a little overprotective. He never let me put one finger on her tank; kept saying I was going to break it. The way he would hold on to her though, I would say otherwise. He held it so tight, like his life depended on it or something. Never really took his eyes of her either, although, I must say, Wanda is a sight to see. She is so pretty, very angelic-like. I guess I can kind of see why Ian is so protective of her.

She meant so much to all of us in the caves; become a blessing to us. She saved us all in so many ways. She truly was an angel, a … saint. Hmm, I wonder if I would be able to find a person who looked similar to an angel. I'm sure Ian would agree with my decision, I hope he likes it. I hope _she_ likes it.

I mean, she risked her life for me, to save me, a stranger. Only a virtuous being would go through such extremities to save someone they've barely known. I owed her this. I just hope she wouldn't be angry with us for wanting to keep her.

**MPOV**

I turned to see Jamie stretched out in the back seat, clearly passed out for the rest of the night.

"Is he asleep?" Jared asked. He kept his eyes on the road. He refused to let me drive, thinking that wouldn't be able to maintain the speed limit and kept insisting that he was fine.

"Yea, he's out," I replied.

I turned to look back out my window. I never thought I would be able to see things or experience things on my own when Wanda had taken over my body. Back then, I would have done anything to get rid of her, even stab myself in the neck, if I were able to take control of my own limbs of course. I despised her, as far as I was concerned, she should burn in hell and if I were able to get rid of her I would have squished her then dragged my feet on top of her until she was smeared all over the bottom of my shoe. I shook now at the thought, I could never do such a thing. I love her too much.

Jared felt my tension and he tightened his grip on my hand. "What are you thinking?" he asked a bit concerned.

I smiled at him, and the chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

I shook my head lightly, still chuckling. "I was just remembering a time when I would have done anything to get rid of Wanda. Look at me now; I would do anything to get her back. How funny and ironic things are."

He began laughing too, very low as to not wake Jamie.

"Yes," he said, "very ironic. But we love her now; she is a part of our family."

That was interesting, he thought her as part of our family. I mean, I already considered her as part of our family; she was my long lost sister. But, I never would have thought Jared would consider her part of the family. And he said that 'we love her now', in what way did he love her? I couldn't help but to flashback to the last memory Wanda had of Jared, the one he asked her to stay with him. I know I shouldn't be jealous, but I needed to know.

"Jared," I said, almost timidly.

"Yes," he said.

My heart began to beat at a million beats a second. What is he had meant every word to her? Would he tell me the truth? If so, was he really doing this because he wanted her back for him, is that why? No, no, I know that's not true. He loves me; he made that clear to Ian. Then, why did he lie to Wanda, because she asked him to? How would Wanda feel about it later? So many questions, so many questions that I wanted answers to.

"What is it Mel?" he asked, noticing my hesitation. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

I sighed.

"You love her, too?" I asked.

"Of course I do," he said warily.

"How much do you love her?" I asked with clear sadness in my voice.

I braced myself for his response, the … rejection, but instead he let go of my hand for the first time since we left the caves, only to reach his arm around me to draw me closer to him. He kissed the side of my face, "Not as much as I love you," he assured me. "You are the love of my life; no one or nothing can ever replace you. The love I have for Wanda is nothing more than the way a brother feels for his sister, siblings. The only one I want to be with is you."

"Brothers and sisters don't usually make out," I mocked.

"Please don't remind me of that, I feel weird about that enough already," he sighed, but grinned all the same. "Did you _really_ think that I stopped loving you, Mel? Please, whatever made you believe that?"

I buried my face in the side of his shoulders, too embarrassed now, how could I have doubted him?

"You asked her to stay," I simply said.

He sighed, "I did ask her that and I did mean it, though not in the context you are referring to. Although she is not physically a human, she is one of us. She belongs to our family, as a friend to the caves, a sister to Jamie, you and I, and as a … lover to Ian. She is as every bit apart of us as we are to her."

I took a moment to reflect on everything he told me. He was right; she was a part of us, we needed her. "I love her too," I said after a moment of silence.

"I know you do," he smiled. "We all do."

I leaned my head on his shoulder then and he kissed the top of my head. After a couple of minutes later, I dare to ask.

"So," I said. "I'm the only one you want to _be_ with?" I implied.

He let out an amused, surprised laugh. It was a little too loud, that Jamie began to stir, then slowly began waking up.

"Are we there yet?" Jamie asked, all groggily.

Jared kissed me lightly on the cheek and very low, he whispered in my ear, "When we get back to the caves."

That was enough for me.

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**A/N: Please review and let me know what you think. :D**


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